1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printer, and more particularly to structure of a ribbon guide assembly for supporting and guiding an active portion of print ribbon exposed outside a ribbon container of a ribbon cassette, so as to extend between a platen and a print head.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In a printer, an exposed active length of a print ribbon is guided, so as to pass between the platen, and the print head for effecting a printing operation. While the printer is at rest, the active portion of the print ribbon is maintained at its lower rest or home position. When a printing operation is performed, the active portion of the ribbon is lifted so that a desired width portion or color stripe of the ribbon is placed in the printing position aligned with the print head.
For guiding the print ribbon as indicated above, a known printer uses a ribbon guide which is pivotally supprted by a support shaft which is provided on the carriage on which the print head is mounted. The ribbon guide is pivoted about the axis of the shaft, to thereby position the active portion of the ribbon in the vertical direction. This type of ribbon guide assembly requires an additional number of parts including the pivot shaft on the carriage.
In the above arrangement wherein the pivoting axis of the ribbon guide is located on the carriage, the radius of pivoting movement of the ribbon guide at the active portion of the ribbon is limited, since the carriage of the printer has a limited size. This limitation in the pivoting radius of the ribbon guide tends to cause some troubles such as creasing of the active portion of the ribbon between the ribbon cassette housing and the ribbon guide, or slackening of the ribbon, which adversely affects the printing operation.